Modular load-bearing beam and shelter, in particular for a swimming pool, incorporating said beam

ABSTRACT

A beam for a shelter that can cover an area ( 12 ) that integrates a swimming pool, a terrace, etc., whereby the shelter includes a load-bearing structure that integrates the beam, on which covering elements are supported, characterized in that the beam ( 14 ) includes abutting segments ( 26 ) as well as at least one connecting element ( 28 ) of which a first end is connected to a first segment that is located at a first end of the beam and of which the second end is connected to a second segment that is located at the other end of the beam.

This invention relates to a modular load-bearing beam, which can support covering elements, as well as a shelter, in particular a swimming pool shelter, integrating said beam.

This invention relates more specifically to elevated-type shelters that allow the users to move under the shelter.

Some of these shelters are able to expose at least a portion of the water surface and comprise elements with a handle-shaped section, arranged perpendicular to the length of the water surface, whose lateral edges are able to rest on the ground on both sides of the water surface. These elements are able to be fitted together so as to cover the swimming pool when they are used and to expose at least a portion of the swimming pool when they are stacked one under another.

Because of their size, these elements are difficult to maneuver, all the more so if they are not guided on the ground.

According to another embodiment, the shelters can comprise a frame that supports transparent walls in the manner of a veranda. One example of this type of shelter is described in particular in the patent application U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,361. Even if it allows an opening that can be adjusted, in particular on a single side of the water surface, and even if it facilitates the movements of the moving cover elements, it is not fully satisfactory for the following reasons. Because of the size, this type of shelter comprises at least one relatively long beam that requires the use of construction machines such as a crane for manipulating it and an oversize vehicle for transporting it, which produces significant and often unacceptable costs for this type of shelter. Furthermore, the parcels of land on which the swimming pools are laid out generally do not allow the use of such construction machines.

Furthermore, the production costs are relatively high for the large sizes because this requires costly industrial equipment.

Also, this invention aims at eliminating the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a structure for a swimming pool covering that incorporates at least one beam that consists of assembled elements, facilitating the transport and assembly of said beam and thus the swimming pool shelter.

For this purpose, the invention has as its object a beam for a shelter that can cover an area that integrates a swimming pool, a terrace, etc., whereby said shelter comprises a load-bearing structure that integrates said beam, on which covering elements are supported, characterized in that the beam comprises abutting segments as well as at least one connecting element of which a first end is connected to a first segment that is located at a first end of the beam and of which the second end is connected to a second segment that is located at the other end of the beam.

The invention also has as its object a shelter that comprises at least one beam according to the invention.

Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from the following description of the invention, a description that is given by way of example only, opposite the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelter with a beam according to the invention, whereby a portion of said shelter is in retracted position,

FIG. 2A is a longitudinal cutaway that illustrates a beam according to a first variant of the invention,

FIG. 2B is a longitudinal cutaway that illustrates a beam according to another variant of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a transversal cutaway that illustrates a beam according to another embodiment,

FIG. 4 is a transversal cutaway that illustrates a beam according to another embodiment,

FIG. 5A is a transversal cutaway of a variant of a section that is used to constitute a beam according to the invention,

FIG. 5B is a perspective of the section of FIG. 5A,

FIG. 6A is a transversal cutaway of another variant of a section that is used for constituting a beam according to the invention,

FIG. 6B is a perspective of the section of FIG. 6A,

FIG. 7 is a transversal cutaway of another variant of a section that is used to constitute a beam according to the invention,

FIG. 8 is a view that illustrates an example of a section that constitutes a beam according to the invention starting from two sections,

FIG. 9 is a cutaway of an example of a shelter that uses a beam according to the invention, and

FIG. 10 is a cutaway of an example of a shelter that uses two beams according to the invention.

In FIG. 1, a shelter that can cover an area 12 that integrates a swimming pool, a terrace, etc., is shown at 10, whereby said shelter is of the elevated type and makes it possible for the users to move inside it.

Even if the shelter is shown covering a swimming pool in FIG. 1, other applications are conceivable, such as the covering of sports fields or terraces.

This shelter comprises a load-bearing structure on which covering elements that may or may not be moving relative to said structure are supported.

According to the example that is shown in FIG. 1, the shelter comprises a beam 14 that is supported at each end by uprights 16, two vertical walls of end 18 that are perpendicular to the beam 14 provided at each end of said beam 14 as well as side walls 20 in the shape of an arch whose first edge 22 is connected to the beam 14 and a second edge 24 rests on the ground.

The connection between the beam and the uprights is carried out by any suitable means, in particular by bolting, whereby the beam is able to be located above the uprights or inserted between the two uprights as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. This connection is not presented in more detail because it is within the grasp of one skilled in the art.

The same holds true for the covering elements, the uprights and the connection between the covering elements 18, 20 and the structure 14, 16.

Advantageously, the beam is arranged along the length of the swimming pool; the terminal side walls 20.1 that are adjacent to the end walls 18 are stationary whereas the other so-called intermediate side walls 20.2 are mobile and slide along slides or rails that are made in the beam and preferably at ground level.

In FIG. 1, the intermediate side walls 20.2 that are arranged on one side of the beam 14 are in a retracted position and expose the swimming pool whereas on the other side, the intermediate side walls 20.2 are in a deployed position and cover the swimming pool.

The dimensions of the different side walls are defined so as to allow a multistage-type interlocking of the intermediate side walls 20.2 under the terminal side walls 20.1.

This shelter configuration makes it possible to reduce the size of the mobile covering elements which contributes to facilitating their handling operations. The size reduction also makes it possible to reduce the sections of aluminum or another material, which produces savings in raw material, in production, especially at the bending stage, in transport and in set-up.

In addition, this configuration makes it possible to expose only a single side of the swimming pool, whereby the other side is used as a windbreaker.

Finally, when the beam is loaded excessively, the side walls make it possible to prevent collapse by supporting the beam similar to a vault, whereby the beam forms a keystone.

According to the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, the beam 14 comprises abutting segments 26 as well as at least one cable 28 that is arranged along the length of the beam, with ends connected to the respective ends of the beam, whereby said cable is non-rectilinear and follows a curve so as to exert a force on the beam that is oriented upward and able to compensate for the loads that are applied to the beam when said cable is tightened. Curve is also defined as a succession of at least two broken lines.

Thus, when the cable is tightened, it has a tendency to stiffen, which makes it possible to compress the sections against one another and to generate a counter deformation that makes it possible to compensate for the loads that are applied to the beam so that the deformation of the beam does not exceed 1/500^(th) of the size when the beam is loaded.

Preferably, the cable follows an essentially parabolic curve, with a focal point that is located above the beam, starting from the height of the beam at its two ends and positioned in the low part in the center of the beam. This variant makes it possible to obtain a better distribution of the forces that are exerted by the cable on the beam so that they have a distribution that is approximately identical to the load that is applied by the covering elements that is distributed along the beam.

According to the variants, the cable 28 can be prestressed and tightened when the beam is not loaded. For this purpose, the cable 28 is stretched at least one of its ends by any suitable means, such as, for example, tightening straps.

According to a preferred assembly method, the cable 28 is not stretched when the beam is not loaded. In this case, the cable is slightly stretched to arrange abutting segments but not for exerting prestressing. Said cable is tightened automatically when the beam is loaded, in particular by its own weight and/or when the covering elements are connected to the beam and tend to exert forces whose result is oriented downward.

The dimensions of the parabola followed by the cable 28 are adjusted based in particular on the weight of the beam and/or the loads that are exerted by the covering elements on the beam, whereby the deformation f of the parabola is essentially proportional to the distributed load that is applied on the beam, in particular the one that is derived from the weight of the beam and/or covering elements.

By way of example, for a size on the order of 16.40 m, it is advisable to provide a deformation for the parabola on the order of 250 mm.

The cable 28 is preferably made of stainless steel. It may or may not have strands and may have one or more fragments and different sections, depending on the traction force that can be applied to said cable. In addition, cable could mean several parallel cables. It is essentially inelastic to preserve the tension to which it is subjected when it is loaded either by prestressing or naturally by its own weight.

According to another variant of the invention that is illustrated in FIG. 2B, the beam 14 comprises abutting segments 26 as well as at least one connecting element 28 that is arranged according to the length of the beam, with ends connected to the respective ends of the beam. According to an embodiment, the connecting element comes in the form of a rigid or flexible rod, essentially inelastic, preferably metal, produced by a single support or several abutting elements that are connected by sleeves.

Advantageously, the connecting element 28 is arranged in the low portion of the beam, in particular below the neutral fiber so as to take up the traction forces.

In general, the beam 14 comprises abutting segments 26 as well as at least one connecting element 28 (cable, rod, etc.) of which a first end is connected to a first segment that is located at a first end of the beam and of which the second end is connected to a second segment that is located at the other end of the beam.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the beam comprises means for positioning sections relative to one another so as to have them aligned. According to one embodiment, at least one sleeve 30 is arranged astride in two adjacent sections.

According to an embodiment, a sleeve 30 comes in the form of a metal hollow tube, for example made of steel, with a square or rectangular section that can be housed in housings in analogous shapes formed at the ends of the sections.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the beam comprises a core with a cavity 32, in which the cable 28 is likely to be housed, whereby cable 28 is arranged in the vertical longitudinal median plane of the beam and is protected in the cavity.

So as to avoid the appearance of torsion phenomena, the sleeves 30 are also arranged at the vertical longitudinal median plane of the beam, preferably above and below the cable 28.

Axes 34 are provided along the beam, located above the cable and arranged carefully so as to guide said cable along a desired curve—in a preferred embodiment an essentially parabolic curve when it is stretched and flattened against said axes 34.

According to another characteristic of the invention, to improve the handling of the elements and to simplify their production, each segment 26 is produced from at least two parallel sections, extending over the entire length of the segment. These sections are metal and are obtained by extrusion through a matrix.

According to a first embodiment that is illustrated in FIG. 3, each segment comprises two sections 36, 36′ that are coupled and arranged one on the other and connected by any suitable means. Preferably, the connection between the sections is created using the shapes of said sections that work together.

Each section comprises a U-shape in which the cable 28 is likely to be housed, whereby the branches of the U 38 are more or less long based on the necessary height for accommodating the deformation of the parabola of the cable and/or for making possible the superposition of the different slides that are necessary for guiding the side walls.

To ensure the connection between the two sections, the end of one of the branches of U 38 comprises a hook shape 40 whereas the other end comprises a housing 42 whose shapes are suitable for those of the hooked device 40.

Thus, the two assembled sections are arranged head to foot, whereby the hooked device 40 of a first section works with the housing 42 of the second section, and whereby the hooked device 40 of said second section works with the housing 42 of the first section as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Ribs 44 are provided inside the U at branches 38 so as to delimit a housing for a sleeve 30 with the branches of the U 38 and the base of the U 46.

When the side walls are able to slide along the beam 14, the latter comprises housings 48 at C at the outside faces of the U branches 38. Preferably, the housings at C and the U shape are produced by a single support by co-extrusion. In this case, horizontal walls are supported perpendicularly to the branches of the U toward the outside, two first walls 50 in the extension of the base of the U 46, two second walls 52 at the ends of the branches of the U 38 and optionally third walls 54 between the walls 50 and 52 that are uniformly spaced, whereby said walls have flanges 56 at the free ends so as to follow a C-shape.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B, a first type of section with a single slide on both sides of the U shape is shown.

In FIGS. 6A and 6B, a second type of section with two slides on both sides of the U shape is shown.

In FIG. 7, a third type of section with three slides on both sides of the U shape is shown.

By assembling two sections with three slides, a beam with a height on the order of 400 mm is created from two sections on the order of 200 mm. This type of section is inscribed in a circle with a diameter on the order of 265 mm corresponding to the dimension of a matrix of a press of 3500 tons, which allows industrialization with costs that are compatible with the market.

According to the height of the desired beam, a segment is created by assembling two identical or different sections, whereby the different combinations of sections that are described above can be conceived. By way of example, a segment that is created by assembling two sections with two slides was shown in FIG. 8.

The assembly of two sections makes it possible to create a beam of significant height while limiting the size of the industrial equipment making it possible to create said sections.

In FIG. 4, another embodiment of a segment is shown.

The latter comprises two hollow sections 58 with a rectangular or square cross-section optionally with stiffeners 60 that define a housing for a sleeve 30 as well as at least one crosspiece 62 that connects said sections 58.

Preferably, the segment comprises two crosspieces 62 that are spaced from one another so as to delimit a cavity 32 in which the cable 28 is able to be housed.

According to this embodiment, the beams are all made from the same sections 58, whereby only the height of the crosspieces 62 is adjusted based on the desired height of the beam.

Preferably, the sections are metal, in particular based on an aluminum alloy, and they are obtained by extrusion.

The crosspieces come in the form of a plate or panel that may or may not be metal whose thickness is adjusted so as to withstand all compression forces.

The connection between a crosspiece 62 and a section 58 is carried out by any suitable means, in particular by means of a U-shaped groove that is coupled or located at one of the faces of the section and connecting means such as bolts, for example, or by bonding.

The axes 34 are implanted at crosspieces so as to obtain the desired curve of the cable.

When side walls are able to slide along the beam 14, slides 64 are supported on the crosspieces by any suitable means, in particular using shapes of slides that work with the shapes of the crosspieces or elements that are connected to the crosspieces.

According to another characteristic of the invention, at the upper and/or lower face, the beam has a housing 66 that can be used as a cable path so as to provide, for example, daylighting, or for allowing any other hooked device. If appropriate, the housings can be closed using a clipped hood 68.

Finally, a shelter can comprise a beam 14 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 9 or two beams 14 with side walls on both sides that are essentially identical to those of the preceding variant and moving or stationary covering elements that are inserted between said beams, as illustrated in FIG. 10.

The fact of providing a beam that is made of several assembled segments makes it possible to facilitate the transport and the installation of said beam. Furthermore, the segments have suitable dimensions for introducing them into booths for surface treatment, heat lacquering, for example.

The presence of the cable also makes it possible to limit the deformations along a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the beam.

In addition, the fact of preferably producing segments using two assembled sections also makes it possible to reduce the size of the elements to be produced and to be manipulated and allows the use of industrial equipment that makes it possible to obtain production costs that are compatible with those of the market.

Furthermore, when the beam supports sliding side walls, no assembly or bolting is necessary on the worksite thanks to the presence of slides, whereby the panels are slipped into their respective slides at the end of the beam. Thus, the assembly period is significantly reduced and just two fitters can handle it without needing hoisting equipment.

Of course, the invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment shown and described above but on the contrary covers all the variants, in particular regarding the shapes and dimensions of the shelter, the number of dimensions of the beams as well as the nature, the dimensions, the shapes of the covering elements and the structure on which they are supported. 

1. Beam for a shelter that can cover an area (12) that integrates a swimming pool, a terrace, etc., whereby said shelter comprises a load-bearing structure that integrates said beam, on which covering elements are supported, characterized in that the beam (14) comprises abutting segments (26) as well as at least one connecting element (28) of which a first end is connected to a first segment that is located at a first end of the beam and of which the second end is connected to a second segment that is located at the other end of the beam.
 2. Beam according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least one cable (28) of which a first end is connected to a first segment that is located at a first end of the beam and of which the second end is connected to a second segment that is located at the other end of the beam, whereby said cable (28) is non-rectilinear and follows a curve so as to exert a force on the beam that is oriented upward and able to compensate for the loads that are applied to the beam when said cable is tightened.
 3. Beam according to claim 2, wherein the cable (28) follows an essentially parabolic curve, with a focal point that is located above the beam, starting from the height of the beam to its two ends and positioned in the low part in the center of the beam.
 4. Beam according to claim 2, wherein the cable (28) is not stretched when the beam is not loaded, whereby said cable is tightened automatically when the beam is loaded.
 5. Beam according to claim 2, wherein the cable (28) is prestressed.
 6. Beam according to any of claim 2, wherein it comprises axes (34) that are arranged above the cable and carefully so as to guide said cable along a desired curve.
 7. Beam according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least one rod (28) of which a first end is connected to a first segment that is located at a first end of the beam and of which the second end is connected to a second segment that is located at the other end of the beam.
 8. Beam according to claim 7, wherein the rod is located in the low portion of the beam, in particular below the neutral fiber so as to take up the traction forces.
 9. Beam according to claim 1, wherein it comprises means for positioning segments relative to one another so as to have them aligned.
 10. Beam according to claim 9, wherein at least one sleeve (30) is arranged astride in two adjacent segments.
 11. Beam according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a core with a cavity (32), in which the connecting element (28), arranged in the vertical longitudinal median plane of the beam, is likely to be housed.
 12. Beam according to claim 1, wherein each segment (26) is produced from at least two parallel sections, extending over the entire length of the segment.
 13. Beam according to claim 12, wherein the two sections (36, 36′) are coupled and arranged one on the other, whereby the connection between the sections is created using the shapes of said sections that work together.
 14. Beam according to claim 3, wherein each section comprises a U shape in which the connecting element (28) is likely to be housed, whereby the end of one of the branches of the U (38) comprises a hook shape (40) and the other end comprises a housing (42), whose shapes are adapted to those of the hooked device (40) so as to assemble two sections head to foot.
 15. Beam according to claim 14, wherein it comprises C-shaped housings (48) that can be used as a slide or a rail at the outside faces of the branches of the U (38).
 16. Beam according to claim 15, wherein the housings (48) and the U shape are produced from a single support.
 17. Beam according to claim 12, wherein each segment (26) comprises two sections (58) as well as at least one crosspiece (62) that connects said sections (58).
 18. Beam according to claim 17, wherein each segment comprises two crosspieces (62) that are spaced from one another so as to delimit a cavity (32) in which the connecting element (28) is able to be housed, whereby the width of the crosspieces (62) is adjusted based on the desired height of the beam.
 19. Beam according to claim 17, wherein slides (64) are supported on said at least one crosspiece.
 20. Beam according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a housing (66) at the upper face and/or lower face.
 21. Shelter that can cover an area (12) that integrates a swimming pool, a terrace, etc., whereby said shelter comprises a load-bearing structure on which covering elements are supported, whereby said load-carrying structure comprises at least one beam according to claim
 1. 